Fishing for kids

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Comment by Jamie on August 12, 2011 at 10:31am

Thanks for the good advice. We've had fun fishing for bull heads in the sound of a pier. Just put some meat on the bottom and you get a nasty, ugly fish with spines. No fight though and can't eat em. I'm gonna check out a farm. Thanks again!

Comment by Chad Simon on August 11, 2011 at 12:04pm

Trout farms are nice for good action. American Lake is absolutely loaded with Rock Bass, Perch, and trout. You can honestly catch a rock bass/perch about every other cast fishing defined weed edges, or docks. I took my daughter there during the smallie spawn this year. It's a good lake to fish during the spawn, because the water is so clear, and a lot of the spawning areas are away from the heavy boat traffic. I don't mess around with worms for the perch/ rock bass. I use a drop shot rig with a sniper snub in smoke with gold flake. It with catch more fish, and it's easier to deal with. The rock bass and perch start biting best in June, and you can catch them good into the fall. When fishing with kids, I usually throw some fish in the livewell so they have something to tinkle with. The boat launch on the westside of American Lake has a nice park/playground. There is a free WDFW launch on the eastside, but it's very popular, and unimproved.

Comment by Jerry on August 10, 2011 at 8:17pm

You could try Island Lake in Silverdale, or Horseshoe Lake if you take the boat. I think the park is open on weekends only. Island Lake near Shelton can be good for numbers of small fish, tho there are some big ones there too as well as perch. Trails End Lake (near Mason Lake) has bass, Phillips Lake near Spencer too. Can be tough keeping the kids attention for sure. Good luck

Comment by islandbass on August 10, 2011 at 3:28pm

Find a lake that also has a play ground.  Bring a lot of snacks and drinks.  Don't plan to fish yourself. You'll be spending more time tying knots and untangling messes.  Don't make them fish for longer than their attention spans allow them.  A trout farm if you can find one close by is a neat place if they're really young.